Concierto de Aranjuez
performed Oct 8/9, 2005

Outside of his native Spain, Joaquín Rodrigo (1901-1999) is a rare "one-hit wonder" in Classical music. Blind from the age of 3, Rodrigo showed strong musical talents and was sent to study composition with Francisco Atich in Valencia. He later studied with Paul Dukas in Paris. With the outbreak of the Spanish Civil War in 1936, Rodrigo decided to stay in Paris. It was during this period that he wrote his Concierto de Aranjuez, which was premiered in 1940 and made him the musical darling of Franco's repressive regime. As Spain's leading composer, he was appointed music adviser to Spanish Radio in 1944, and two years later was given the Manuel de Falla chair at the University of Madrid, where he taught until his death in 1999.

Rodrigo's Concierto de Aranjuez is unquestionably the most popular guitar concerto, yet Rodrigo himself never learned to play the guitar. It's likely that Rodrigo's free-spirited evocation of an older, more tranquil world was a deliberate and poignant statement against the backdrop of the Spanish Civil War. It evokes the ancient summer palace of Aranjuez near Madrid, whose graceful lines and immaculate gardens parallel the concerto's remarkable balance of brilliance, sophistication, and sensuality. The first movement is clearly rooted in Spanish folk dance and Flamenco guitar idioms. The second movement's haunting and intense theme is probably one of the most famous melodies in all orchestral music. The final movement strikes a balance between the first two, returning to a dance idiom but haunted by echoes of distant fanfares and opting for a soft, gentle, contemplative ending.

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